


Countdown

by Olpgurl



Series: Damerey Week 2020 [7]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Damerey Week, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting to Know Each Other, Halloween Costumes, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:07:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27048451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Olpgurl/pseuds/Olpgurl
Summary: Rey has always hated Halloween, but when her best friends force her to come to a party, her soulmate timer activates.  She has less than an hour to meet the man she's been waiting a lifetime for.Damerey Creations Week 2020 Day 7:  Favourite AU (Soulmates)/Free Day/Candy/Forelsket
Relationships: Finn/Rose Tico, Poe Dameron/Rey
Series: Damerey Week 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1970761
Comments: 10
Kudos: 44





	Countdown

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kday426](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kday426/gifts).



> This is a gifty for kday for all of her lovely pic spams that keep us inspired ❤️
> 
> And this is my 50th fic 😱. And 49 of those are Damerey so holy crap!

She had always hated Halloween, the holiday had always been painful. Her years in foster care meant indifferent parents who never wanted to shell out for costumes or take the time to run her around the neighbourhood for candy. Most had made some sort of effort on her birthday or Christmas, but Halloween had just been ignored. She’d come to resent it, maybe getting any leftover candy at the end of the night if she was lucky. She was rarely lucky. But her thoughts changed about the holiday. But not until a few years later. 

It all started because of her 18th birthday, heading into the office of Soulmate Affairs, trying to hide her excitement and finally getting her timer. She got the prerequisite speech as she stared down at the blank implant on her wrist. There were no guarantees, any small decisions made by either of them could affect their meeting. Even someone else could completely ruin their chances. She wondered if it was even worth the expense, their chances sounded astronomical. But she hoped. She wanted to find a family.

She’d always been more mathematically inclined than most, immediately doing the math once she arrived home to the dingy apartment she could barely afford. She didn’t like the odds. At all. The timer might one day count down; the fateful day she would meet the one person in all the world who would actually love her. The person who would finally make her miserable existence better. With her luck, she doubted it would even turn on or she would have a wait a decade at least before she would meet him. 

“Maybe I should stay home?” she asked Finn, far too worried. “I mean if you barely know these guys, is it really safe?”

“I know a few of them,” Finn repeated. For the thousandth time. “The guys I’ve met are great, I got assigned to a group project with three of them. They’re not like the drunk assholes in Theta, they were chill. They even asked me to rush next year.”

She knew he was probably right, but the idea of something going wrong wouldn’t go away. She tended to avoid the Greek crowd, too many of them seemed like the rich type who had looked down on her at her old school. She’d been the charity case, the one on scholarship. It didn’t matter that she’d passed the entrance exam with flying colours. That she’d had the highest score for their year. She was the poor kid, living in foster care. She didn’t deserve their notice. Then she’d been kicked out of the system before school even ended, poorer still, forced to fend for herself. She’d still managed to get a full ride with all the bullshit. But now that she was in school, the small glimmer of hope that her life might actually improve was harder to ignore.

She refused to tell anyone, but her timer had started working since she arrived at school last year. It never lasted more than a few seconds but it meant he was here. Or at least close by. She’d panicked once already this month, the counter showing two hours and nine minutes, freaking her out when the numbers actually stayed for a while. But after an hour, it had reset again, going back to blank, her heart breaking a little. 

Finn and Rose had been the greatest thing to ever happen to her, even if she was a little jealous of her roommate. Their timers had gone off on the first day of school, meeting each other in the quad. A year later, the two of them were still roommates, with Finn here all the time. They talked her down, telling her it wasn’t necessarily her soulmate who made the decision when he saw the effect on his own timer. It would be just her luck to have a soulmate who didn’t want her either. If it had shown her such a short time, he had to be nearby, right?

But this party? She wasn’t really the social type, her small circle of friends was enough for her. But Finn insisted, telling her going out was probably her best bet; she’d see far more people this way. Especially tonight. So she’d agreed, reluctantly, the stupid kegger at a frat house was her last idea of fun but there would be other students galore out and about. She checked her timer again, the numbers still depressingly blank. 

“You’re going and I won’t hear another word about it!” Finn said with mock severity.

Rose just sighed, pushing him out of their dorm room, looking over at the costume she had chosen. She’d refused the idea of sexy anything, the very idea of wearing something that was basically underwear as a costume just annoyed her. Rose had suggested the flapper costume, perfect for her short hair. She’d been absolutely right, the costume worked almost too well once Rose helped her perfect the makeup and hair. She took her time, still nervous about tonight. Her whole life would change forever if Finn was right.

It wasn’t until she was putting on the final touches that she noticed she had 27 minutes and 9 seconds glaring from the timer on her wrist.

“How exactly did I get conned into this?” he mused aloud. 

“You’re president, that’s how,” Snap laughed at him.

He glared at his best friend since freshman year. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about!”

“Because your vibe screams chill boss type,” Snap replied as he picked up another case of beer. “It was you or me and I would have let the power go to my head.”

“I fucking hate Halloween!” he growled, grabbing a case of his own. 

It was his own fault for never telling any of them why exactly, but it wasn’t really their business. They set the last two cases by the bar, sighing deeply at the thought of tonight. He could get through one party. He’d probably need a lot of booze but he’d make it. He let the rest of the guys finish setting up, heading upstairs to get ready. Maybe if hid in there long enough, he could slip into the party late. He headed up, shouting out a general warning to save some of the candy bars for the party.

He did really want a night off, Halloween reminded him too much of his mom. Ever since she had died, the holiday had never felt the same. He glanced down at his timer, scowling. He wanted to find her. Or him. But he knew all too well what happened when one soulmate died young. The idea of meeting them scared the shit out of him. But he still wanted to met the person more than anything. He shook his head, he knew why he was thinking this way. Since last year, his timer had been lighting up briefly. It never stayed lit but today it had been going off like crazy. He knew more than a few people would make their way here tonight. And from the looks of things, his soulmate might be one of them. 

He could feel the bass thumping through the floor by the time he’d finished dressing. He’d found an old 20’s style suit at goodwill; if he was stuck wearing a costume for this, he was going for semi-normal. He grabbed a handful of gel, slicking back his curls and shaving the several days of facial hair growth into a skinny moustache to complete the look. He looked like an idiot but no one could complain that he didn’t have a costume. And Snap would complain.

It wasn’t until he went to do up the cufflinks that he noticed he had 12 minutes and 43 seconds on his timer. It was steady, the seconds ticking down. 

It wasn’t until they were in front of the large house, people coming and going in a steady stream that she realized the magnitude of what was happening. Her feet froze on the front lawn, Rose and Finn needing a moment to notice she was no longer with them. Finn turned around to look for her, holding a hand out to Rose to pause her. “What’s wrong?”

She looked down at her wrist, 2 minutes 27 seconds left until her world would change forever. “I can’t go in there!”

They both headed back towards her, confused. “I promise, we will stay with you all night if we need to,” Rose reassured her. “We just want you to have some fun!”

She held up her wrist, showing them the rapidly disappearing numbers. They both smiled, not understanding what this mean. At least to her. It had been so simple for them, they’d met and were instantly in love, but she wasn’t lucky like that. “What if he hates me? Or thinks I’m ugly? Or has a girlfriend he’s totally in love with? Or …”

Finn cut off her ramble. “Or,” he drew out the word, “what if he thinks you’re amazing?”

Iolo saw him first, the house already filling up with people despite the early hour. “Poe! Poe! We ran out of candy!”

He rolled his eyes, they’d run out of candy on Halloween? What a surprise. He waved him off, he couldn’t have cared less about that at the moment. He checked his wrist again, the timer had a couple of minutes still. Looking out at the party-goers from the stairs, he tried to see if they were already here. He scanned it again when he couldn’t see anyone else looking around like him. Checking the timer again, he panicked; the numbers had faded to black. Running outside, he stopped short on the sidewalk looking around frantically. There was a dull beep from his wrist, an echo coming from behind him.

Turning around, he saw Finn, hand holding onto a woman’s shoulder. She turned around, the dull beep getting louder as he took a step forward. Everything around him tuned out except the hazel eyes looking right at him. He vaguely heard Finn’s voice but it was like he was underwater; the sound distorted and unclear. All he could see was her.

She felt Finn’s hand leaving her, too distracted by the warm brown eyes watching her. The incessant beeping, steadily growing louder invaded her senses. She needed to blink, the world slowly coming back into focus. She took in the full view; the entirely too attractive man attached to the warm eyes was smiling nervously at her. He stepped closer, the beeping increasing in speed. It took her a minute to notice where it was coming from.

She looked at her wrist, her timer flashing a row of zeros. It finally dawned on her, this was him - her soulmate. She’d always been too afraid to picture him; not wanting to imagine someone and be disappointed if they were completely different. But somehow he was perfect, the kind of man she would have imagined if she’d let herself.

He raised his arm, showing her the flashing zeros on his own wrist. The beeping stopped suddenly, the whole world coming back into focus again. There were dozens of people milling around, heading into the house, barely noticing them. “So, hi,” he spoke quietly like they were still in their own little bubble.

Even his voice was nice; soft and warm just like his eyes. She could feel the flush beginning on her face; there was no way this was right. “Hey,” she replied, barely a whisper.

They were both silent for a moment, the tension rising. “This is really awkward, right?” he said with a laugh. “Like, don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s a little weird.”

She finally relaxed, laughing, happy their odd moment was over. “Fuck yes. But Finn dragged me out and I almost didn’t come but …” she trailed off, worried she was saying too much.  
He laughed, shaking his head. “So that was Finn I heard, I wasn’t sure with … everything. I’m Poe, by the way.”

“Rey,” she answered, holding out her hand, then pulling it away again. “Shaking hands feels … odd. Considering …”

“Yeah, we’re …” he trailed off, looking uncertain. “And of course, it’s Halloween and I look like an idiot which isn’t helping me relax. I fucking hate halloween. But I mean you look good and … I'm screwing this up completely, aren’t I?”

She shook her head, trying not to laugh. “I hate Halloween too, why I wasn’t going to come. But we sorta match, which is weird? And you look good too,” she added in a rush.

He could see Snap at the front door, waving frantically. “Fuck,” he said under his breath. “And my brothers can’t let me have five minutes of peace. Even for life changing moments. The jackasses.”

Her smile faded a little, replacing it with one that was obviously fake. “I guess I should go find Finn and Rose,” she replied. “It’s not like them to take off like that.”

“I need two minutes,” he said, eyes looking panicked. “I’ll tell them I don't care if the house is on fire, they need to figure it out on their own. I’ll find you, promise.”

She nodded, turning around to walk into the house. He matched her pace, smiling every time their hands brushed each other. The front door was crowded, too many people here already. Snap waved him over again, but he ignored him. “Two minutes,” he said loudly over the noise, holding up two fingers just in case.

Rey nodded, slipping into the living room and out of sight. He headed in the opposite direction after Snap, finding his tall frame easily. “What’s the damn problem?” he snapped at him once he pushed his way into the kitchen.

“What’s yours?”

“I just met my soulmate and I’m being interrupted for something that any other half capable adult probably could have handled!”

Most of the people in the kitchen turned to stare. He ignored his feelings of embarrassment, never taking his eyes off his friend. “Think you can manage to control yourself and take charge for tonight? Pass it around that I’m off duty?” he asked quietly. “I’d kinda like to get to know her without being interrupted every five minutes.”

“Of course!”

She found Rose first, sitting on the arm of a well-used couch that was way beyond capacity. Rose frowned when she saw her, getting up to meet her. “Where is he?” she demanded.

“He said he’d be back in a couple of minutes!” she half shouted, trying to be heard over the music.

Rose just shook her head. “Not the start I would have hoped for.”

Her anxiety spiked, worried Rose was right. What if Poe was just making excuses? She felt a hand on her shoulder, turning only to see Finn. “Where’s Poe?”

She just shrugged. “Something came up,” she replied. “How do you know him anyway?”

“He’s one of the guys I was telling you about!” Finn shouted over the music. “I wish I had introduced you guys earlier, I was going to do it anyway. I knew you two would hit it off but I wasn’t expecting it to go that well! He’s a great guy, promise.”

She had to hope Finn was right but her luck in life hadn’t been great so far. As the minutes ticked by, she got even more nervous, wondering where he could be. Had he taken off? Or was it an actual emergency? Too many questions were filling her mind, making her certain Poe didn’t want her. Just like everyone else. It wasn’t until she saw Finn smile, waving someone over that she relaxed. Poe was back, looking a little relieved himself.

“Sorry,” he said in a rush. “I couldn’t find anyone in this crowd.”

Her anxiety lessened a little, he had a point. The house was full, the music blaring making things even more chaotic. People were alternating between talking loudly and yelling to be heard over the noise. Not to mention the few who were already looking a little drunk. Not exactly the best way for two people to get to know each other. 

Finn half shouted about needing to get a drink, pulling Rose away with him. Poe watched them leave, turning towards her. “He’s not subtle,” she tried to tell him.

Poe just shook his head. “What?”

This was pointless. Of course she would meet her soulmate at a crowded party where they couldn’t actually talk. She shook her head, already disappointed. Maybe she could just give him her number and they could talk tomorrow? She reached into her clutch, looking for her phone when she felt a hand reach for her.

“Wanna get out of here?” he shouted.

She looked around his room, taking in the pictures, the posters, the stack of textbooks on the messy desk. Poe removed the jacket, waistcoat, and tie, throwing them at a very full laundry hamper. His hand moved to his hair, a disgusted look coming over his face. “Mind if I take a quick shower? I don’t usually put this much crap in my hair,” he laughed.

“I don’t know,” she teased. “If I have to put up with my costume, you should too.”

Poe walked over to the dresser, pulling out a couple of piles of clothes. He raised an eyebrow, like a challenge. “Might be a little big, but definitely more comfortable.”

She took the offered clothing, Poe showing her into his adjoining washroom so she could change. She looked herself over; this man was supposed to be her soulmate, he might as well see her how she normally is. She borrowed some supplies on the counter, washing her face of the makeup she rarely wore before changing into the t-shirt and sweatpants. She waited for the reaction, too used to people turning away. But all Poe did was smile, swapping places with her.

He didn’t have a tv in his room and she wasn’t going to touch the open computer without permission so she looked around the room once more, trying to get a better idea of who he was. The posters weren’t much help except telling her Poe seemed to lean towards comedy. The pictures showed a small family; just mom, dad and a small boy she had to guess was Poe. She pushed down the swell of jealousy as she looked on, the rest of the family pictures showed the mother absent, her mind instantly going to the worst when she wasn’t in the rest of them. She couldn’t help but still feel like she was invading his privacy, grabbing her phone to distract herself.

He wrapped the towel around his waist, wiping off the steam from the mirror. He instantly reached for the razor, ditching the moustache so he looked more like him. He tried to settle the wet curls, knowing it was probably a lost cause. He changed quickly, already taking longer than he had hoped. He changed into the sweats, heading back into his room to see her lying on his bed, smiling at her phone. “Sorry, that took so long,” he apologized. 

Rey sat up, and it suddenly hit him - he had no idea what he was supposed to do. He was here with his soulmate, alone even as the party raged downstairs. He took the few steps needed to reach his bed, taking a seat beside her. No one ever really talked about this part; everyone he knew who had met their soulmate just talked about how they had hit it off and were happy. No one ever talked about how strange it sort of was. 

“So … what’s your major?” he asked, wanting to instantly take the words back. That was the exact same line dozens of guys must have used on her.

She laughed, thankfully. “No clue what to say either?”

“I haven’t a fucking clue!” he laughed with her. “What are you supposed to say to someone you know you’re like supposed to spend your life with 10 minutes after you meet? ‘How many kids do you want’ just seems way too personal.”

“I’m not good with meeting new people on a normal day,” she admitted. “But I’m drawing the line at two, just so you know.”

“Definitely more than one, being an only child sucks,” he added. 

Rey just hummed in agreement but refused to look at him. “We don’t have to talk about family if you don't want to,” he said softly. 

“Nothing to talk about there, really.”

He got the impression Rey wouldn’t be that simple to crack; that she wasn’t going to be good at opening up. He could understand that; he wasn’t exactly fond of talking about his own childhood. There was only one thing to do. “What’s your favourite movie?”

She looked startled for a minute before laughing. “I’m a big sci-fi geek, so Star Trek. What about you?”

He smiled. This he could do.

She let out a yawn, blinking a few times. She hadn’t noticed when the thumping bass had stopped, too absorbed with Poe. “What time is it?” she asked, looking around for her phone.

Poe sat up with a groan, grabbing his from the bedside table. “Fuck, it’s almost four,” he groaned again. “I should walk you back to your dorm.”

She rolled onto her side, looking him over. “You don’t have to do that,” she insisted. “It’s not like I haven’t had to walk by myself late at night.”

“Yeah, that’s not happening,” he insisted. “Especially with the drunk idiots that are probably still out.”

“I can take care of myself!”

“I know,” he added. “But I just found you … I don’t … I’m not going to risk something happening to you. Like … what happened to my dad after my mom -”

She could see the genuine panic rising, her suspicions about his mother confirmed. “Would it … well it’s really late so maybe I could stay here?” she suggested.

He relaxed instantly, letting out his breath in a whoosh. “Yeah, of course. Probably easier anyway,” he replied. “I have no idea how bad the damage is downstairs or I’d sleep on the couch so if you’re okay with it … could we share? I promise, hands to myself.”

She gave him a small smile. Poe was probably one of the most attractive men she had ever met in her life. Even hours later, she was still amazed this gorgeous man was supposed to be her soulmate. And wasn’t even considering rejecting her like she had always supposed would happen. He was genuinely worried about her safety. Something that was completely new. But it was a feeling she could like.

“It’s fine,” she replied shyly. 

“Just give me a sec,” he replied, rising from the bed to head to the bathroom. 

She found her phone, taking a look just in case. There were a few messages from both Rose and Finn, wanting to make sure she was alright. The swell of happiness hit her; she did have a few people who cared about her. And possibly one more. The door opened up again, Poe standing there awkwardly, something in his hand. “I found a spare toothbrush if you want it. Pretty sure it’s from my last trip to the dentist so it should be okay.”

She took it with a quick thank you, ducking into the room behind him to clean herself up. It didn’t take long, coming back in to see Poe already waiting under the covers. She slipped in beside him, not sure what she should do next. Poe mumbled a quick apology, reaching over her to turn out the light. She tried to ignore the feeling of his bare skin brushing hers.

She was tired, but still sleep would not come. Normally she would toss and turn, but she didn’t want to disturb Poe. She wasn’t used to sharing a bed, even with friends. Learning to share a room wasn’t something new, but the small space definitely was. She forced her eyes to remain closed, the skin of her arm still tingling from where Poe had touched her. She placed her hand over the spot, her skin feeling warm. It brought a smile to her face.

“Can’t sleep either?” Poe’s voice startled her.

She opened her eyes to face him, seeing the slight smile on his face in the moonlight. “It’s still a little weird,” she admitted.

“I can still walk you home if you want. Or call an uber.”

She shook her head, rolling onto her side. “I want to stay,” she confessed.

Poe bit his lip, brow furrowing. “Can I kiss you?”

She nodded, closing her eyes again , trying not to worry about how this would go. She’d never kissed anyone before, but she knew a bit from Rose that your first kiss from your soulmate was supposed to be life changing. It took a moment, the soft brush of Poe’s lips almost electrifying; a complete jolt to her system. Poe started to pull away, leaving her to roll closer. He laughed lightly, pressing his lips back to hers, wrapping an arm around her waist. They kissed over and over, soft sweet kisses as they held each other tightly. It must have been hours, the sun peeking through by the time Poe pulled away for the last time, yawning loudly.

He looked at her sheepishly. “That wasn’t you.”

She yawned too, the urge irresistible. They both laughed, Poe pulling her closer. “We should get some sleep tonight. Well, today.”

She just hummed, relaxing into his arms. “Night, Poe,” she mumbled.

“Night.”

She woke up, the bright midday sun shining on her face, still cradled in Poe’s arms. She looked him over, seeing him for the first time in the daylight; his long lashes resting against his cheeks, his chin covered in stubble. She brushed her hand across it, letting it tickle her palms, wondering how it would feel against other parts of her. The thought brought a blush to her cheeks, the heat intensifying as Poe opened his eyes sleepily.

“What are you thinking about?” he teased, finally releasing her to stretch out on the bed.

“Nothing,” she replied too quickly.

“Hmmm … I don’t think I believe you,” he mused, pressing a hand to her warm cheek. “How about we get cleaned up, and I take you home. And maybe go out for coffee after?”

She could feel the smile tugging at her lips. “Well, you are stuck with me after all.”

Poe leaned forward, kissing her gently. “No one else I’d rather be stuck with.”


End file.
